It was a back-and-forth game for the Flyers, who led by a goal after two periods.

But Dave Hakstol decided to sit on a one-goal lead, and it bit back as the Devils scored two goals in the final 10 minutes of the game en route to a 4-3 loss.

Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds scored the two first period goals for the Flyers, before Shayne Gostisbehere gave the Flyers the lead midway through the second.

Damon Severson and Nico Hischier helped give the Devils the lead in the final period.

Alex Lyon stopped 18 out of 22 shots in his first career NHL start.

The Flyers will return home to host the Ottawa Senators Saturday afternoon at 1 PM.

The Roundup:

Our live show from Carlino’s is available to listen.

Thursday’s injury report sees an uptick in an illness for the team:

Darby missed media availability and Mychal Kendricks also has an illness. And Rob Gronkowski was cleared to practice for the Patriots.

This new Birds pump up video is everything.

In more videos, a New England guy decided to spike a below average cheesesteak early in the morning to get views.

Sean continues his previews with the New England defense. Kevin dives in with some advanced stats and more.

The Birds appear to be relaxed as if it’s another game:

Torrey Smith, won Super Bowl XLVII with the Ravens vs. the 49ers: “We had a great practice yesterday, so that’s kind of our M.O. I think everyone is in the right place. I knew coming into this week it’s kind of crazy. Your schedule is off, your routine is off, but once Friday hits it kind of starts to feel like a normal game. For us, we have to go out and continue to have great practices.

“But overall, I think our team is in a great place. We’re still having fun and we’re still working our tails off.

“It’s just a game. I think experience is overrated. Someone asked me about Coach Pederson. I’m like, ‘We all graduate from college, and we can’t get a job because we don’t have enough experience.’ But the reality of it is when you get the opportunity to do it, you can go out there and perform just like anyone else. And so you learn on the job. Just as that was true for Coach Pederson, it’s true for this team. We’ve been playing games all year. Our team is experienced together, and the Super Bowl is no different. The only difference in this one is if you win there’s a huge celebration. That’s really the only difference. And there’s a long halftime and a little longer pregame.

“Otherwise, it’s football. We’re studying the same. We’re preparing the same. We expect the same results if we play our best.”

Today’s Inquirer sports page is a damn good one:

Chris Long was named the recipient of this year’s NFLPA Byron “Whizzer” White Community MVP award.

Instead of Crisco, the poles in the city will reportedly use gear oil instead.

Sources say police plan to use a form of gear oil instead of Crisco oil to grease poles along Broad Street and up in the Northeast for Sunday nights expected Eagles celebration.

Tom Flora says fans should be aware if you’re planning on wearing your favorite Birds jersey and scaling up a pole with this stuff on it. Well, good luck trying to clean your jersey.

We went to H & Z Laundry on the Boulevard where customers told FOX 29 not even the Senior Super Load washer set on heavy soil will get gear oil out.

I really loved this mini golf battle between Merrill and Mike.

The full video of the Delco Birds fans in someone’s Uber is better than the small snippet released earlier this week.

The Custers will be at the game on Sunday.

One photo that Carson Wentz tweeted out confused Kyle.

Did we just find out Tom Brady will be the league’s MVP?

Screw Patriots fans.

But end the week on a fun note with Fletcher Cox reading a mean tweet:

Ben Simmons got snubbed again from the All-Star game. For Goran Dragic.

The Sixers appear to be looking for at least a shooter:

Observations from Wednesday’s awful loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

Sixers play the first of a back-to-back tonight against the Miami Heat at home at 8 PM on ESPN. They’ll be on the road in Indiana tomorrow night.

Former #1 overall pick and Phillies minor league pitcher Mark Appel is leaving baseball:

And now, Appel is leaving the game behind, he tells Bleacher Report, taking an “indefinite break” from professional baseball. Should he never return to baseball, he would become just the third No. 1 overall pick to never make the major leagues, along with Brien Taylor of the New York Yankees (1991) and Steve Chilcott of the New York Mets (1966).

“Maybe we should all get together and have a party,” Appel says with a laugh in his Houston home. “I don’t know what the future holds. I’m pursuing other things, but also trying to become a healthy human.”

Appel is currently rehabbing shoulder inflammation that hampered his 2017 season, but he has battled injuries his whole pro career. He pitched through soreness during his first season amid expectations that came with being a No. 1 overall pick, which only further exacerbated the pain. In 2016, he underwent season-ending surgery to remove a bone spur, and this season, as he sat alone in his Florida hotel room rehabbing his latest injury, Appel began to ponder life beyond the game.

“I’m 26, I have a Stanford degree, I have many interests beyond baseball, which I still love, but I have a lot of things I care about,” Appel says. “I enjoy challenging my mind. My last four years in baseball have challenged my mind.”

In college hoops, Temple upset 16th ranked Wichita State 81-79 in overtime.

Top-ranked Villanova made 19 threes in a 98-78 win over Creighton.

Drexel edged out James Madison 76-74 on a last-second block.

Today is Wing Bowl.

In other sports news, the OKC-Denver game had a wild ending.

https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/959304404108111872

And Russell Westbrook shoved a fan for yelling in his face:

Blake Griffin scored 24 points in his Pistons debut.

This is sad:

Six former Ole Miss players say they were misled about an NCAA investigation surrounding the program and will try to be immediately eligible.

A former TCU wide receiver is suing the school and Big 12 for playing through an injury, along with other things.

In the news, the judge that locked up Meek Mill is suing Mill and his management for his recent allegations.

A groundhog saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of Winter. It’s a dumb holiday.

Fidel Castro’s oldest son has killed himself.